A Proper Wife
by InosBane
Summary: Shikamaru loves Temari. Temari loves Shikamaru. Each time he's proposed she's refused. Why? Because Temari would never again let herself be thought of as someone's property. ShikaTema
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I was reading a story by Peppermint Quartz, that was inspired by a song by the band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The song Facedown came to mind, and the muse took over. This story turned out to be a way for me to exorcise some emotional demons from years ago, and as such, there might be situations that don't sit well with some of you, but if anyone could be a survivor, it's Sabaku no Temari. In the language of flowers, Yellow Carnations-Disdain  
**Hayaku**-Quickly

**Disclaimer:** I'm not Kishimoto, but I thank him for allowing usage of his characters. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus falls into the category of Screamo, but if you've never heard Facedown I hope you'll give it a chance.

**A Proper Wife-Chapter 1**

_She was unable to fully appreciate the sensation of flying until she landed on her knees across the room. The pain was excruciating and she cried out, choking and spitting on the ground. The sight of blood mixed with the saliva made her whimper. Wondering if he knocked out the tooth that was already loose or one of her permanent ones, she reached up to find out. His kick to the stomach caused her to forget about her teeth and crumple into the fetal position._

"I don't know what the Kazekage was thinking, wasting an education on you," he sneered. "A proper wife doesn't talk back to her husband, and she knows her place. If you expect to live long enough to bear my sons that's something you'd better learn. Hayaku!"

_Before she could do more than glare up at him, a kick to the head caused the darkness to engulf her._

Sabaku no Temari sat up panting, she could feel the perspiration on her forehead despite the goosebumps on her arms. Instinctively, she touched her lips, her ribs, her head, and then sighed. It pissed her off that after all this time those events, now little more than dreams, still affected her this way.

Shikamaru 's breathing was deep and even. His black hair was spread out thick and glossy on the white pillow beside her. When she was younger, one of the servants had told her that men liked to have a woman with long hair because it looked nice on a pillow. She smiled, assuming it was part of her contrary nature that caused her to be with a guy whose hair was longer than her own. She ran her hand along one of the strands and marveled at how it shined in the moonlight; the object of her adoration snuffled in his sleep and rolled onto his side.

Temari eased out of the bed and slipped on her robe. She padded down the hall to the open courtyard and closed her eyes, drinking in the warm night air and allowing it to fill her lungs. When she opened her eyes it was to a sky full of stars, little beacons of light shining through the blackness.

O-O-O

Though it had gone against tradition in Sunagakure, she'd never questioned her father's decision to send her to the academy to be educated in the ways of the shinobi. She'd endured the taunts of her male classmates believing that her father knew what was best for her, so a year later when he made the decision to interrupt her schooling and marry her off to the Daimyo's younger brother she didn't question it. He was the Kazekage afterall, his first responsibility was to Sunagakure and it's people. He'd met with the council, decided that it was an alliance that their struggling village couldn't afford not to make, and off she went. She'd been told that at eight years old it would be a marriage in name only, but she would be a member of her husband's household, so she must obey him.

If it hadn't been for Baki stopping by on his way back from a mission…her husband had refused to allow the jounin to see her, so it was only by chance that he'd passed the garden. She'd been sitting alone on the ground planting yellow carnations, her knees bruised and scabbed from the previous day's incident. Her bottom lip was swollen and there was dried blood in her hair. She cried when she saw him, not from relief but from shame. Her husband told her that she'd deserved everything that had happened to her. She was his property now, and as such, must be trained in the ways of his family so that she would be a proper wife. Thus far she'd failed miserably. She was too loud, too abrupt, and hadn't yet learned to mask her true feelings.

What Baki saw enraged him. He feared that if he left her here she would be killed before he could convince the Kazekage that she needed to be rescued. She'd shown real promise as a shinobi during the time she'd spent at the academy, and he hated to see that wasted. His face hardened and he told her to meet him by the gate at midnight, he told her that the Kazekage had requested to see her. This was the only time Baki deliberately defied the Kazekage, and he knew it might very well cost him his own life.

She was spirited away that night, Baki carrying her on his back because walking was too painful. Temari tried not to meet the eyes of any of the other members of his squad; she could feel their anger and thought it was directed at her. Instead she closed her eyes and wondered how soon she'd be sent back.

Immediately upon her return to Sunagakure she was brought before the Kazekage. She registered her father's shock and Baki's raised voice. She remembered the horror in Kankurou's eyes when she looked over at him and tried to smile. The council members were summoned and she was forced to look at them, one by one. Gaara's name was brought up by the red-faced Hideyoshi, but the Kazekage shook his head. A messenger was sent to the Daimyo and Temari was sent to her room.

When she opened her door, Temari found that a servant had drawn her a bath. She stepped gingerly into the warm, lavender scented water; grateful that her fishnets had hidden the bruises on her arms and legs. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but knew that she'd obviously let her village down by being disobedient and weak. She spent the next week recovering in her room. She had no visitors, and wasn't permitted to wander the palace. The only people she saw were the servants who gossiped too loudly about the amount of money paid to buy her out of her marriage contract. Her humiliation intensified, she knew Sunagakure was in dire straits, and instead of easing her father's burden she'd just managed to increase it.

At the end of the week Temari was summoned to the Kazekage's office. She was informed that she would be resuming classes at the academy and would begin training every afternoon alongside her brothers. She was forbidden to ever speak about the two months she'd spent with her husband. When he was finished speaking, the Kazekage faltered and for an instant the coldness left his eyes as he looked at his only daughter, the image of his dead wife.

"Best to move on and forget it ever happened," he said.

O-O-O

"Oi," a sleepy voice called out to her from across the courtyard. "I rolled over and you were gone, are you okay?" Shikamaru walked over and wrapped his arms around her, "your skin's all clammy, are you getting sick?"

Temari smiled leaning into his embrace.

"Just a nightmare," she replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**My opinion of the Kazekage has changed through the years, as I think the first chapter made clear. To watch your once prosperous village fall on hard times must've been difficult, and unfortunately his desperation to change things backfired on him. He's really quite tragic in a way.  
Information on villages comes from **The Official Fanbook**.  
**Hokorippoi**-Dusty, not a real town to my knowledge.

**Disclaimer:**So totally not Kishimoto

**A Proper Wife-Chapter 2**

Baki didn't take it easy on her, and she was grateful. By exhausting herself during the day, most nights Temari was able to fall into a dreamless sleep. It was the holidays and special occasions that she dreaded, when there was nothing to hold her focus. Those were the nights that her memories kept her up alone in the darkness rocking back and forth drenched in sweat. It wasn't until she'd been home for almost a year that Temari began to feel anger about what had happened.

Her former husband and his entourage were on their way to an onsen in Kaminari no Kuni when they decided to stop in Sunagakure and pay their respects to the Kazekage and his family. Since the village was already sitting on precarious ground with the Daimyo, Temari's father felt it would do no good to insult him by refusing entry. That her presence was required went without saying. She was the Kazekage's daughter, it was her duty to stand with Kankurou at their father's side. Gaara was of course not permitted to leave his room unless it was for school or training.

When he entered the hall, Temari wished she'd joined the puppet corps like Kankurou. At least then she could have hidden her reaction behind a pattern of paint. The sneer never left his face as he met her eyes and motioned for a young girl to step forward. He introduced her as Fuyuko, his newest jewel, a proper wife from Hokorippoi, which Temari knew was a small border town whose economy had gone belly up.

The girl couldn't have been more than six years old. She was dressed in an exquisite silk kimono embroidered with gold thread at the collar and cuffs. Her eyes were large and Temari could already see the fear there even though he said they'd only been married a week and were on a celebration trip. When he reached out for her, the girl's shoulders trembled and it was all Temari could do to not launch herself at him and try out some of the moves she'd learned in training. Six months later, word reached Sunagakure that the girl had fallen down a flight of stairs and died; that day at training Temari severely injured her opponent, a chuunin eight years her senior.

She became more focused. Every practice dummy she aimed her shuriken at was him. Every mission she went on was to avenge herself and Fuyuko. On the battlefield she was cold, calculating. Every opponent that lay gasping on the ground was him, and she waved gleefully as they gave hp the ghost. Immediately after she'd be doubled over retching, wondering if she was losing her mind.

In the meantime he took another wife, then another, and another. Each one dying tragically due to falls or sickness. One or two managed to escape only to bring shame upon their families, forcing them to pay outrageous amounts of money for a broken marriage contract. Had he been any other man, maybe someone would've questioned his continuous bad luck. But the power he wielded as the Daimyo's younger brother, and the allure of money to villages that had none was too strong. Families from all over continued to sacrifice their young daughters in order to feed their sons.

Offers of marriage came in from all around Kaze no Kuni for Temari, her first marriage long forgotten in the desire to exploit the once powerful Sunagakure. The Kazekage refused them all, causing the village to fall into further disrepair. He sent an emissary to Orochimaru, the self proclaimed Kage of Otogakure, and was gambling everything on an alliance with the increasingly powerful new village. By the time Temari was on her way to Konohagakure for the Chuunin exam, her former husband had been married nine times and she'd killed twice that number.

Growing up in a household where learning was encouraged, Temari found the written exam was easy came easy. The trek through the Forest of Death was barely memorable with Gaara on her squad. Her preliminary match against a Konoha kunoichi named Tenten was, no pun intended, a breeze. When it came time for her final match, Temari was pleased that this time she'd be facing a male. She'd already replaced the Konoha shinobi's face with that of her former husband when when he stopped her short.

He didn't want to fight, and he especially didn't want to fight against a female. What kind of person was this? Temari watched, her frustration building as for the first several minutes he just lay there like a sacrificial lamb getting pummeled by trash from the audience. The only way Temari knew to release her rage was through fighting, and damnit, if he wasn't going to start it she would.

The fact that she was defeated without being struck once wasn't lost on her. She was intrigued by the lazy genius who'd outmaneuvered her with his intellect, and was dying to know what really caused him to give up at the very end. Unfortunately, there was no time for questions. Gaara's retreat into his orb signaled that it was time. She had to carry out the Kazekage's orders to allign with Otogakure and destroy their host village of Konoha.

It was in later years, after the body of her father had been given a proper burial and the failed invasion was all but forgotten that she began to think of the lazy Konoha shinobi as her commrade. When she was in her early twenties Nara Shikamaru became her lover. He didn't have a problem with her attitude or her fits of temper. He'd just roll his eyes, smile and mutter "troublesome". He fascinated her with his old fashioned ideas of men and women, but never made her feel like she was anything less than perfect.

On the few occasions that Shikamaru had brought up marriage Temari managed to change the subject. She never told him about what had happened when she was a child, instead choosing to heed her father's words and just try to forget. She loved him, and would spend the rest of her life with him, but never again would she allow herself to be in a position where she became someone else's property.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **The proper way to refer to a senior female who's not related to you is "obasan", or "aunt". It's traditional in Japan for a new bride to learn how to make the miso soup recipe her husband was raised with. Even though they're not married at this point, Yoshino's getting antsy.

**Disclaimer: **Not Kishimoto OR his twin.

**A Proper Wife-Chapter 3**

"How's this obasan?" Temari asked holding out a spoon for Yoshino to taste.

The older woman licked her lips thoughtfully.

"A touch more garlic and you've got it," she said.

Yoshino had asked her son's girlfriend over that afternoon in order to teach her the Nara family's miso soup recipe. Even though the pair wasn't married Yoshino felt it was only a matter of time. It seemed that everyone except the lady in question believed that Temari would be the perfect wife for Shikamaru. The Konoha genius and the Suna kunoichi had been together almost a year now and she'd already turned him down flat…twice.

Not one to be easily dissuaded, Yoshino went about in small, unassuming ways preparing Temari for her role as a member of the Nara clan. She knew the younger woman had little to no memory of her own mother, and Yoshino had never been able to have the longed for daughter. The shared sense of loss led to an instant connection between them that solidified into a friendship.

"Now?" The blonde asked offering the spoon again.

"Perfect," Yoshino said tasting the flavors that had long been instilled in her own palate. "Now let's eat."

Temari filled the soup bowls and poured the tea while Yoshino served the rice and fish.

"You did an excellent job," Yoshino remarked taking a bite of fish and closing her eyes. "Just perfect."

Temari smiled at the praise. She enjoyed the rare times when it was just the two of them, she didn't have to guard what she said or exhaust herself with politeness and diplomacy. Yoshino had been a kunoichi, and a formidable one at that. She understood.

"So you're leaving in the morning?"

"Hai," Temari replied. "I just had to finish up some negotiations here and then Gaara needs me to attend a wedding in his stead. I have to stop in Sunagakure for the specifics and then I'm off again."

Yoshino pursed her lips, the tone Temari used when she said the word "wedding" wasn't lost on her.

"You don't like weddings, do you?"

"It's not the weddings I don't like," Temari stirred her soup choosing her words carefully. "It's what comes after. People change once they're married, and it's not always for the better."

"You sound as though you speak from experience," Yoshino mused. "That's why you're afraid to marry my son, isn't it?"

Temari's eyes widened and she struggled not to choke on the mouthful of rice. It wasn't the bluntness of the question, it was the way Yoshino was able to read between the lines. Everyone always thought Shikamaru got his analytical mind from his father. Everyone had obviously _not_ had a conversation with his mother.

Temari wasn't sure how to reply. She knew good and well whose wedding she was attending, and it made her sick inside because Gaara was still in the dark about her marriage. Her old nightmares had come back in force and she knew Shikamaru was worried about her even if he didn't say anything. Had he put his mother up to this?

"It is, isn't it?" Yoshino asked. The way Temari's face had grown pale emphasized the dark circles under her eyes. "What's keeping you from sleep?"

Her father's face swam before her eyes.

"Best to move on and forget it," he'd said.

She'd tried to do as he said, but had she moved on? She certainly hadn't forgotten. The bastard's grinning face was there every time she closed her eyes. Everyone she'd done battle with had worn his face, every life she'd taken had been him, and now she was due to see him alive and breathing, and taking yet another bride in just a few days time.

"Obasan," she said quietly. "There's something I have to tell you, I've never talked about it before and I'm not even sure if I can."

O-O-O

A half hour later, lunch sat forgotten. Yoshino's arms were around her adopted daughter and Temari was being rocked in a mother's embrace. Both women's faces were wet with tears, one making up for several years, the other shocked by what someone she loved was put through.

Temari was finally able to let go of the shame and anguish she'd stuffed for so long. Yoshino stroked her hair and whispered the words of comfort that a mother does to her child whose finally woken up from a hellish nightmare. Temari hadn't blamed her father, and as much as Yoshino wanted to rail against him she held her tongue. It would do no good to further upset the poor thing.

"You go on up to Shikamaru's old room and rest," she said. "I'll go by the apartment and pack your things. You're staying here tonight."

Temari nodded and allowed herself to be led up the stairs and tucked in. She sank down on the futon and within moments was fast asleep.

On her way home, Yoshino made a point to stop by the fish market and buy a fish that was large enough that if she pounded part of it to smithereens there's still be enough to grill for dinner. Her husband, Shikaku, noticed the agitation in her mannerisms all evening long and was puzzled by her efforts to conceal it. Normally his wife would make sure he knew in no uncertain terms and graphic detail what was bothering her. This sudden change disturbed him, but after years of marriage he was wise enough to not bring anything up until they were alone.

"Koibito, what…" was all he was able to get out. Yoshino grabbed him and kissed him with such force that when he was able to pull back his only focus was on breathing.

"Arigatou," was all she said before turning out the light.

The next morning Shikamaru saw Temari off just as always. After a kiss that was too brief for either of them she had one last thing to say to him, just as always.

"There's something we need to discuss once I've cleared up a few matters, okay?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "could you be a little more cryptic?"

She laughed and waved goodbye.

He scratched the back of his head.

"Troublesome," he grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** My last update on this story was almost a year ago? I'm so embarrassed to admit that…thanks to everyone whose read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and it will get finished, never fear. With the last chapter I deviated from what I had written down and ended up painting myself into a corner that screwed up the way this chapter was to begin and messed up the overall flow of the story.  
Then life got in the way for a bit. My apologies, and I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'll get started on reediting the next one as soon as this one's uploaded.  
**Mattaku-**jeez, **Otouto-**younger brother, **Otousan-**father, **Iie-**no, **Oneechan/san-**Older sister when you're talking to her, **Joudan ja nai-**"you've got to be kidding!", **Hai-**yes,

**Disclaimer: **I make no money from my stories, much to my husband's chagrin…

**A Proper Wife-Chapter 4**

As Temari made camp that evening she paused in her unpacking to feel the last rays of the setting sun on her face, she couldn't remember a time in her life when she felt so gloriously unburdened. She stretched he arms ups high and watched the way the shadows from the trees dappled her skin. Staring at the shadows, she resolved to represent her village honorably at that travesty they were calling a wedding. As long as she passed on the Kazekage's good wishes to the Daimyo the day of the ceremony, she didn't need to bother with anyone else. She could wander around the capital for the rest of the week and not take part in any of the other festivities.

A few hours later, she added a large log to her fire before settling down for the night. She watched the dancing flames and reflected on the past couple of days; so much had changed when she opened up to Yoshino. A nagging little voice wondered how different her life would be if she'd been able to talk about it all those years ago, but Temari knew there was nothing to be gained by wondering such things. Her life was what it was, good or bad. If it had been any different she might not have had the chance to become a kunoichi, build a relationship with her brothers, or meet and fall in love with Shikamaru. Those things were too precious to her to waste time on what if's. She rolled over falling into a second night of undisturbed sleep.

O-O-O

It was the middle of the night when Temari reached her village a day and a half later. She'd made excellent time and was looking forward to a long hot shower, so when the watchman at the gate told her she was to report immediately to the Kazekage's office she was more than a little alarmed.

"The Kazekage's fine Lady Temari," the jounin replied when she asked. "Lord Kankurou as well."

"So then why?" Her question hung in the air as she read the scroll the watchman handed her. She forgot to thank him for holding up his lantern as she sighed. "Mattaku...fine. Then he has no right to complain about how I smell."

Temari knocked lightly before sliding the panel doors open. Before they registered that she was there, she caught sight of both of her brothers. Gaara was sitting at his desk staring at the wall, his lips pressed against his folded hands. Kankurou was leaning against the wall, eyes closed and hands folded across his chest. Once she entered the room Kankurou's eyes opened and he straightened his pose. Gaara met her gaze briefly then his eyes slid to a stack of papers on his desk. He unfolded his hands and reached for the paper on the top of the stack, motioning her to sit down.

"Otouto," Temari yawned. "Is it really necessary that we meet right this minute? I'm gross and exhausted, and frankly," she said nodding at the telltale dark circles under his eyes. "You look like you could use a decent night's sleep too."

The Kazekage acted as if he hadn't heard her.

"There's some things we need to discuss," he said motioning to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, will you?"

Puzzled, Temari raised an eyebrow at Kankurou before sitting in the indicated chair.

"Don't look at me," the Puppet Nin said holding up his hands. "This is Baki-sensei's doing."

"Baki…" she stopped, staring at the broken seal next to the stack of papers. The realization of what Gaara was reading dawned on her, "I thought Otousan destroyed that file," she whispered.

Her youngest brother closed his eyes and sighed.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asked, a soft growl edging into his voice. "It wasn't enough that he sealed a demon _inside_ of **me**, Otousan sold **you** off to one as well?" Opening his eyes, Gaara turned to their middle sibling. "Did he do anything to _**you**_ that we don't know about?"

Kankurou thought for a moment then shook his head.

"Iie," he smiled, "I come by my weirdness naturally I guess."

His tone and expression broke the tension in the room and Temari grinned. Even the corners of Gaara's mouth turned up faintly as he shook his head.

"Either way," the redhead continued. "You're not going to that wedding. I'll send one of the male jounin to represent Sunagakure."

Temari frowned, "you don't think the Daimyo will find that a bit insulting? This is _his_ brother afterall."

Gaara turned to Kankurou, "who went to the last one? "Kankurou looked back at Gaara blankly, it was their sister who answered.

"Tsuda Hideo, but he's retired now. We have no one else that can go."

"That's not true," Kankurou replied. "I can go."

Gaara nodded, "Hai, Kankurou will go."

Temari rolled her eyes.

"Joudan ja nai! Do you remember what happened the _last time _Kankurou filled in on a diplomatic mission?"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that backwater village had some law about wearing hoods," Kankurou shot back. "Anyone could make that mistake."

"Anyone who didn't read the file that their sister left for them to review," Temari answered shaking he head. "You almost cost us our spice rights. Seriously," she turned to Gaara. "Are you _**really**_ going to trust our relationship with the Daimyo to cat man over there?"

"Watch it," her middle brother muttered pulling at the points on his hood.

"Otouto," Temari pleaded. "I can do this, trust me."

Gaara didn't meet her eyes, instead, he stared down at the photograph of a battered and bloodied eight year old Temari. It wasn't so much the bruises that bothered him, she'd looked worse after some of their missions together, it was the look in her eyes that gave him chills. Even when he'd been at his very worst he'd never seen her look so beaten down, so utterly defeated.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Oneechan. I can't let him hurt you again," he finally said, eyes still on the photo.

Temari stood and picked up the photograph. She could vividly remember Baki taking it right before they started on the journey home. He'd wanted proof in case any of her bruises faded before they'd gotten back to Suna.

"I'm not that girl anymore," she stated crumpling the photo in her hand. "No one's going to do anything to me, least of all him."

Gaara finally looked up and seeing her determination, nodded.

"Will you at least take someone with you?"

Temari shook her head."Iie. Who could take better care of me than me?" She asked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really am filthy and tired." She smiled and touched her youngest brother's hand. "Get some sleep Gaara. I worry about you too."

Once the door slid shut Kankurou nodded at the sheet of paper Gaara had pulled from his desk.

"You sending for back up?"

"Hai," came the Kazekage's reply. "And if he hurries, he should arrive only a day or two after her."


End file.
